Real Estate

When choosing a house, be careful to choose one that your family can make a “home.” After all; “A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.” unknown

There are many beautifully decorated, impressive floor plans out there but not every decorating style or floor plan will suit your family’s needs. Most importantly, you want your home to be practical and one that is adaptable to your family’s changing needs. For example:

1. If you have a 14 year old child who will be driving in 2 years, consider a house that has a driveway or garage that can accommodate a third car. Although not so important now, it will be in a short period of time.

2. If you have pets, make sure that you choose a house that will suit your lifestyle with those pets. Maybe wood flooring or tile would be preferable to carpet or having a yard large enough to give them room to run and play or having easy accessibility to walking trails or sidewalks.

3. If you are someone who loves to collect stuff….plenty of built in shelving and large closets will help you stay organized and uncluttered.

4. If you have a lot of overnight guests perhaps a floor plan with a bedroom and bath tucked away from the main living area in a house would be preferable.

There are many different needs, but knowing which are most important to your family and prioritizing them should be the first step in choosing a house. It is also important that you relay that information to your realtor so that the already exhausting job of house searching can be narrowed down for you; saving both time and frustration.

Selecting the right house will make a huge difference in your ability to relax and enjoy your life. As the quote above states, “a home is built with love and dreams,” so make sure your walls and beams conform to your needs so that you will find the peace and contentment to love and dream.

Be careful when house shopping not to get distracted by beautiful furnishings that will leave with the present owners and ignore factors that may not suit your needs. As well, look past things like paint colors that you do not like or window coverings that are not your taste and pay attention to those things you have determined were a priority for you. Window coverings can come down and paint is inexpensively replaced. Location and design are not so easily remedied.

Most of all…. Talk to your realtor and express those things which are most important to you. Working together, you will find the perfect house to make your home. Finding the space and floor plan that accommodates your family’s needs within your budget will make all the difference in your ability to relax and enjoy your surroundings.